Harvest Festival at Fairgrieve Elementary

The Fairgrieve Elementary School Harvest Festival celebrates nature, the changing season, fall activities and interests, and of course the bountiful harvest that farmers and growers reap during this season.

The school has its annual Harvest Festival is held Oct. 31 each year. While rainy weather canceled some of the outdoor activities planned for the day, coordinators did not let the wet weather damper the spirit of the festival.

The harvest treasure hunt involved students traveling from station to station to pick a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs to be boxed and given to local food pantries and distributed to needy families. The students learned the valuable lessons of community service and helping those in need as well as proper nutrition and where food comes from.

Another presentation that is always a perennial favorite was the make your own birdseed station. Students harvested nature’s birdseed from plants and flowers that were grown in the nature garden behind the school and created a mix of seeds that will be used to feed birds during the winter months in the bird feeder in the school patio garden.

A pedestrian safety presentation by Billie Crandall Brady, Oswego County Traffic Safety education coordinator, included precautions that pedestrians should take when out after dark or walking on the roadway.

Native American lacrosse stick maker Alfred Jacques presented a program on the history of lacrosse and Native American culture and influences on the sport. He brought with him several of his world-class sticks and demonstrated their use and other Native American inspired stick games.

The Harvest Festival seeks to educate Fairgrieve students on a wide variety of topics, including the importance of community service and helping those in need.